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A place for me to share all my make-up ramblings...enjoy!

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My name is Sophia!

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FAQ & DISCLAIMER

About Me

My name is Sophia, and I am in my early 30s. I am from Singapore and I am the sole writer of this blog.

About this Blog

I started this blog in 2006, I like to use a wide range of brands though I seem to have a growing preference for higher-end brands in recent years. I also like to share interesting things I have come across about makeup and beauty.

Currently The Makeup Blogette receives 39,000 unique views monthly or 2,238,932 views and counting.

My Makeup Style

I like classic looks (neutral tones on eyes, anything goes for lips & cheeks), though occasionally I try out dramatic/ statement looks.  I believe that a flawless base is the key to achieving great makeup looks.  I also believe that if you don't have great skin to start with, fake it with a good foundation routine, and even greater skincare.  I am currently loving Clarins & Lancome skincare products, and Vichy NormaDerm for tackling with breakouts.

What Cameras do I use?

Most of the pictures you see in post 2010 entries are taken with my Canon G-11.  Previously I was using Canon Ixus 80.  I do post some pictures which are taken with my iphone4 which I will state in that particular entry.  I have stopped watermarking my pictures as of 2011, because I think watermarks are ugly in general, and does not prevent people from stealing my pictures if they wish to.  I just take it as a compliment that my pictures are even worth stealing in the first place. I might look into getting a Canon EOS next year, not just for blogging purposes, but I also like photography in general.

My Favourite Makeup Brand(s)

It is hard to name just one, but I like NARS, Chanel, Illamasqua and the ocasional Guerlain, Dior & Urban Decay item.  I own quite a stash of MAC items, but recently I have stopped catching up with their collections, and I much prefer to splurge on a few really outstanding items.

Where to find me

Twitter (link button above!)  Email (stated above!)  Instagram (makeup_blogette)

I have no official Facebook fan page, and currently have no intention to start one at all.  The Makeup Blogette remains my personal hobby and property, so as such, I don't believe in having a Facebook fanpage for it.

Final Disclaimer

I bought/ paid for all of the products mentioned in this blog. I am not affliated to any company. If certain products are sent to me for review purposes, I will say so and express my honest opinions about them. In any case, I will only review and showcase the products which I have personally tried and tested, and enjoy using. I do not get paid to review anything.

No ads, no paid links etc please.  I am in charge of all content and pictures here.

I am not a makeup artist, nor do I have any professional training in makeup.

 

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    February 26, 2013

    Latest Armcandy from LeVonne.Com [Feb 2013]


    Hi hi!

    Time for my Feb installment of Levonne's latest arrivals - I am a little late in posting this, but if you have been following my sis (@beverley_ng) or my instagram, you would have seen us wearing the new Levonne armcandy - this batch consists of mainly chunky chains - my LOVES.  Without further ado, let's start checking them out... up close and personal style! 

    Shipping/ postage is free, and each item comes with its own black velvet pouch. 

    Here we have the dainty infinity ring & bracelet - the ring is a gold colored one, while the bracelet is rose gold (loves!  rose gold...my type!)

    beaded rose gold bracelet 

    infinity ring 


    this combination consists of everything from Levonne - I have been eyeing some chunky gold and silver chains lately, and I am glad that they are now available at Levonne at much reasonable prices. 

    Gold Chain S (not pictured)

    Textured Gold Chain (very trendy, imo)

    Gold Chain L 

    These chains come with adjustable links, so they fit various wrist sizes.  In these pictures they are worn at their 'narrowest/tighest' with plenty of room for expansion, as you can see.. there's still plenty of space.

    close ups:


    Next, we have the silver chains - my fave currently - and I like to style them with pops of colors, like this mint green studded bracelet from H&M and also sometimes with neon pops of armcandy too. 

    Textured silver chain 

    Silver Chain L


    Close ups: 


    And lastly, we have the 

    Black Chain bracelet  - something a little more edgy.  


    and a close up: 


    Love the latest arrivals from Levonne!  

    Follow them on  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram for the latest updates and promotions.

    Hope you find this feature helpful, and thanks for looking!

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    September 29, 2012

    Armcandy from LeVonne, So Cool & Affordable!

    Hi hi!

    Several weeks back, I was contacted by Linda from LeVonne to select and try out pieces from her online jewellery store, and after browsing her Esty site, I immediately had my eyes on several pieces, and she is super super generous to send me a whole bunch of them, including the super awesome bracelet stand to display some of my armcandy! 

    Everything in her store is under S$20 (mostly under $15 even), and you just need to pay S$0.50 for local postage, and USD$2.50 for international orders. 

    Every item is packaged in all these cute black velvet pouches, and the pieces are fairly well-made (think Topshop and some of the better Forever21 pieces). If you are into dainty trendy stackable armcandy, rings and hair accessories, I think you will like the designs at LeVonne.  

    I shall showcase the pieces I have, and some options for stacking.  If you follow me on instagram you would have seen some of these #armcandy #armparty pieces.. heheh. 

    Here are the rings - we have the 3 flowers stack, which are a little too girly for me, but they fit me well, and remind me of the Marc Jacob Daisy.  The other 3 rings I like to wear them together, one has the peace sign all round it, another one with diamonte stones, and one with the sparkly peace sign.  I actually like that the rings don't have that weird opening for adjusting to suit different fingers, because I often find the gap very pinching, if you know what I mean.   But they feel smooth and sturdy, and fitted my ring finger nicely.  

    Next, we have the exciting stuff, the bracelets!  I got a hamsa, lips, evil eyes, studs and a charm bracelet.  Skull bangle is my own. 

    The hamsa and lips bracelets have a 'drawstring' adjust and fitted my wrist nicely.  

    The evil eye & stud bracelets are elastic ones. 

    Here are some modeling shots.  Wrist model is my younger sister, while I did the photo-taking.

    I really love the stud bracelet!  And here is the lips bracelet, which some of you told me you like. :)  

    It really is kind of funky, and I think it is a very great layering piece. 

    and shown here layered with my existing pieces... 

    I love multi-wrap bracelets.  Not sure if you can see among there, there is a LOVE bracelet, it is also from LeVonne, they have other wordings too, like Faith, Dream etc.. 

    And now to the display stand, I can fill it up with lots more armcandy, now I am so inspired to create a proper display place in my shelf to properly store all my accessories.   I will show you when I am done it up!  A collection and storage type thing.  I highly recommend the display, it is very well-made, and able to hold lots of bracelets and bangles.  My only question is, if I want to reach the pieces in the middle of the display, I have to remove everything on the outside, and that's a bit of a hassle, no?  But this allows me to see everything I have, and I can sort of visualise what I want to stack together for the day.  Silly me, haha, so you should display your bracelets or bangles with an opening/ clasp in the centre of the display, and store the non-opening pieces at the edges, this way, you don't have to literally turn everything about whenever you want to decide what to wear.   Thanks to Linda for the tip! 

    Overall, I really recommend you go checking out LeVonne, they do have some nice funky items, and if you are like me, you like to wear lots of armcandy, you will definitely like some of their stuff. 

    Ending this entry with some useful links to get you shopping: 

    Levonne Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Vonnecom  (link link)

    Levonne Twitter https://twitter.com/LeVonne2012 (link link)

    Instagram LeVonne2012

    LeVonne Esty Store   (They are based in Singapore, in case I didn't mention earlier). 

    I hope you find this entry helpful, hope some of these caught your eyes, and do leave me a comment if you have any questions

    Thanks for reading!  

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    May 21, 2012

    The Rose Gold Ring

    Hi!

    We were at Isetan Orchard over the weekend - and there is this stall selling 'Made in Korea' accessories - and the rings, this ring - stood out to me.  And totally won Jerlaine and I over.  We bought the same ring... it is a delicate yet sturdy 'rose gold' color/ plated ring... and it kind of looks like a rope, a piece of string tied into a bow.  And that there is a little bit of bling just at the corner of the bow, adding a girly touch of detail.

    How much?  $16

    It comes in silver and gold too.  But you know I have a penchant for rose gold accessories.  So rose gold it must be.

    Love everything about it.

    It's delicate and girly without being too.

    It's not too small.

    It's affordable.

    It's a bow ring without being too cliched.

    Fits my finger perfectly.

    It doesn't look like $16.

     

    In one word,

    LOVES.

     

    [p/s it's from one of the makeshift stalls facing the basement of Isetan Orchard, near the Laneige counter]

     

    Let's admire this ring some more...

    p/s  I applied a coat of OPI Don't Touch my TuTu on my fingernails to prevent them from looking too dull in this picture

    by the window, at the hotel room where we spent Jerlaine's birthday over the weekend  :)

    a happy and relaxing weekend was enjoyed by all

    and I was wearing Chanel's Pirate on my fingernails too - sexy red

     

    That's all, and thank you for looking.

     

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    September 22, 2011

    Nails Story: Deborah Lippmann's Fashion

    A mini series where I swatch and showcase each of  the Deborah Lippmann nail polishes I have in my stash.

    This first part is my latest addition, which is a basic nude shade, Fashion.

    I purchased this from Luxola.com (click here to read about my mini haul entry)

     

    I love Deborah Lippmann nail polishes, the bottle is super cute, and the formula, especially the glittery ones are simply amazing.  I decided on this nude because, well, if you read my blog long enough, you know I must have a nude color from almost every brand of nail polish.  After some researching, Fashion seems to be the most flattering and non-streaky one I have seen (there are several other pale nude shades that look sheer in online swatches).

     

    This is one of those 'my lips but better' except in a nail polish version.  Am I going to do a nude dupes and comparisons entry?  Maybe, when I have more time to go through all the nudes in my stash to photograph and swatch them.

     

    Meanwhile, enjoy the swatches, and thank you for looking.  :)

    I used NailTek Foundation II, and 2 coats of nail polish. No topcoat.

     

     

     

     

     

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    December 16, 2010

    Collective Haul: Clothes & Accessories from ASOS.com

    Hi hi, these are some stuff I bought from ASOS during the all orders ship free period.  I have a missing package, that's very frustrating, I have been told by the customer care to wait, and wait, but I think I might opt for refund in the coming week if nothing comes to my doorstep.  This problem explains why I put off the haul entry because I was hoping that all the orders I have placed would arrive together... but since that doesn't seem to be happening, I shall go ahead with whatever I have now.

    I tried to order only the ASOS items (because then there was a 20% off ASOS brand) and the clearance items, as well as keeping each item I order under 30pounds.  Of the two packages that arrived, the one in the HUGE blue bag is my sis' order, she got a pair of shoes and some bags, whereas all my items were folded and stuffed into the plastic envelope.

    this is everything we got

    Not too sure if you like to see such fashion type haul entries (which is prolly why I don't always post all online shopping haulage---opps!), but maybe it might be useful if you are deliberating whether to shop online for clothes, and all that, the fitting, as I would be showing you how the clothes fit on me.

    my sister's bags - she got a big shoulder bag, and a black clutch

    and she ordered one blouse

    black flats with zipper detail - this is very "her" style. she spotted it right away from the page of 100 pairs of shoes.

    and in another order, the smaller package,

    I bought a bunch of peace sign bracelets for my youngest sister

    3 pairs of Girls Aloud "nicola" lashes with diamonte details at the outer corners

    These were on sale.

    And on to the clothes.  I think I haven't hauled clothes in a while.

    the first is a Fcuk shirt which was on sale, and you have seen it before in my amazing race event OOTD.

    I like the length and the flattering cut of the shirt, it has two pockets too.

    Next, is a tie-neck military shirt.  Great for work.

    then a funky interesting blouse, what do you call these sleeves? bat wing or something?

    whatever, but the print and the cut out detail at the back appeal to me.

    and lastly, a cute blouse with a peter pan collar.

    the color combination is very on trend right now.. if you go to Zara, or the other high street stores like Topshop, you can find lotsa of clothes in this tan color.

    Ok that's all for this entry, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that the missing package would find its way round the world to me.  Meanwhile, the sisters have gotten me to place more orders on their behalf, one from shopbop, and another ASOS order.  I am like their personal spree organiser.  Hahaha.

    Thanks for looking!

    Filed in: Fashion, ASOS, haul, Clothes | Tagged with: Fashion, clothes, ASOS, haul
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    December 05, 2010

    Haul: Shopbop.com (Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Juicy Couture!)

    So this was supposed to be delivered last Thursday, and I didn't realise til Sunday morning, and called DHL to send it over again this morning.  This is my first package to arrive since the Black Friday weekend online shopping frenzy.  As you might know, I love to shop at shopbop.com -- they have free international shipping, prices are competitive and lotsa brands.  I didn't want to bother with vpost, and only went to websites that offer free international shipping.

    The promo they had was the BIGEVENT where every $250 gets you $50 off each order, up til $500 off a $1500 order.    So I ordered about US$300 worth of stuff, and had $50 deducted.

    The main thing was that I wanted to get some CK bras --- which you can try on at our local stores that sell CK bras -- note down the model number, or the fitting you like, and then order at shopbop... cos... it is just cheaper.  An average CK bra here is S$99-S$119, but at shopbop, I paid USD$30--US$40 for each.  One of them might be around USD$24 cos there was some price reduction going on certain models.

    I got three bras, and in all modesty's sake, I shall show only very close up pics -- I tried, and they all fit me perfectly just like in the stores.

    scoop neck push up

    X cotton racer back

    this was on sale, I think

    perfectly fit T shirt bra

    super comfy -- like the straps, very 'firm'

    I got a MJ shopping bag (USD$58) and this is the item which allowed me to get the $50 off... so I guess technically I saved US$50 on this bag?

    It is retailing for S$120 nett in stores currently.

    It is quite big, and made of very soft nylon material which you can easily fold and put into your handbag.

    And lastly, I just wanted a new everyday bag, one sturdy enough if I choose to dump my computer inside.

    This Juicy Couture bag (USD$148) caught my eye, because it is not immediately obvious that it is a Juicy Couture bag.

    (read: no funky tacky loud logo, and no dangling charms like their velour bowling bags)

    It is a dark green with peacock feathers print and ruched all over.

    And the inside of the bag is too cute, with the bright background and Old English font of the brand name.

    Maybe I can do an updated what's in my bag entry with this new bag soon.

    That's all!  Online shopping is very addictive!  Expect more hauls coming this week and next! :)  They don't call it black friday for nothing!

    Thanks for looking!

     

     

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    October 26, 2010

    Jewellery Tag: A Selection of my Faves

    Hi hi, I invite everyone to do this tag, show us some of your fave fashion/ jewellery accessories!

    FYI, in case anyone is wondering, the blue and black polka dot fabric ribbon I got it at Spotlight.

    I am just sharing a bunch of random stuff which I often pull out and wear. Most of them are rings, a couple of necklaces.

    1. Tiffany & Co. sterling silver beads bracelet (abt S$350) , and detachable heart shaped pendant sold separately abt S$240

    This is a 'new' discovery, combination which I am currently obsessed with.  I normally wear the heart pendant, bday present from my gf, with my longer necklace, but now I think it looks cuter on the bracelet.  I wear my T&Co. stuff almost everyday, so they are rather 'beaten' looking, which is the way I like them actually.

    2. Tiffany & Co. oversized oval key (abt S$350 and 20" chain abt S$250)

    I like how I can wear the chain double round my neck, with the key for a more 'formal' look.  Usually I just wear the necklace long and loose.

    3. Key necklaces in general.

    Other than the one shown above, I also have a couple others, which I believe I bought at Forever 21 for less than $10.

    4. Bling Rings

    This huge fake one I got at ebay years ago as some kind of a joke.

    Assorted rings.

    The one with the dark blue stone is a cheapo one which I think I took from my youngest sis's stash, another bling one with a little dangling ball, which I bought in Hong Kong and on my little finger, is a real diamond one from the ex.

    Wicked double Skull Ring from Talisman (Far East Plaza), S$15

    This is my latest addition, it is cheap, it is skull, and really quite Mcqueen. So I likey.

    Double-sided ring which I bought at a flea market for about S$4

    And lastly, another bracelet/ bag charm.

    This is a LE Fendi charm bracelet which was from 4 or 5 years back.

    That's all, and everyone is tagged to do this tag!  Leave a comment below if you have done so!

    Thanks for looking.  :)

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    August 22, 2010

    Tiny Haul: Maxi Dress from New Look

    I bought a maxi dress yesterday, from New Look (UP $59.90, 20% off with Jay Gee card, so I paid about $47).  Been seeing a lot of people wearing this maxi jersey dress look layered with tees and tanks,  so I decided to try it out.  I tried on one at Topshop on Friday, but that was kind of too skinny and short on me, barely skimming my ankles.

    The trick to wearing these maxi dresses, I think is to make sure it ends covering your ankles... it doesn't have to be floor sweeping because

    #1 that would be gross and dirty,

    #2 you run into all kinds of risk of getting your dress caught in the lift or escalators (I have witnessed it before to a poor girl)

    and #3 you do want your feet popping out, otherwise you would look like a footless mushroom --- not a good look.

    Also, when wearing maxi dresses, please, resist the urge to hike it way up to your knees when you are climbing up stairs or navigating the roads... that's just not cool.  Just pull it up a tiny bit will do.  I think it is a lot cooler to pair maxi dresses with sandals or wedges for extra height.

    Here is an example of what I had in mind when I bought the dress, I paired with my sheer Alexander Wang white tee, and also New Look sandals.

    I have to say that despite the horizontal stripes, this dress didn't make me look like I am 5 metres wide, especially around my hips.   I didn't try it on in the fitting room, cos I just threw it on over my tee and pants in the store, and if it fitted me then, it should be even better when I wear on its own. I also got this dress in two sizes bigger than what I normally get, so that it is not super skin tight.

    I am always buying random clothes and stuff, but don't always show them here, maybe I don't want to be reminded of how much I spent on shopping...LOL but once in a while if I get something different from what I usually get, I will 'feature' them!

    Let me know if you have any more ideas on what to pair with this maxi dress!  Thanks for looking!

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    August 06, 2010

    LOTD: MAC Club Eyeshadow Plus French Connection A/W 2010 Collection

    Hi hi!

    Finally get a chance to settle down to do some blogging.  It has been a super hectic week for me, though not all is work and no play.  Between having to go for my driving lessons, planning a couple of work events and also going to Singfest --- and all these on top of my own already busy usual routine, I had barely any time really sit down for long, let alone eat and sleep much.  In the end, I am glad all went well, and I can catch up on several entries today/ tomorrow. And did I tell you I have a long weekend to look forward to, cos I don't need to go to work til Wednesday?

    Last night, I went to the French Connection A/W 2010 collection media event, together with my sister and Kas.  The event was held at La Maison, a cosy cafe/ restaurant tucked away in the Eng Neo/ Turf City area. We also played some games, drank and ate...basically a very relaxed evening just hanging out, and catching up with one another, and also chatted with the TANGS marketing team.

    Anyway, I am sure you know, French Connection has always been one of my fave brands to shop for since my late teens.  I like the cutting of their clothes in general, especially most of their tunics, pants, dresses, tees and blouses which I have a sizeable stash of in my wardrobe.  OK, that makes almost everything!  Whenever I travel, I also haul and look out for fcuk stores in other cities to see if there is anything nice which I don't see in our stores here, so quite a portion of my fcuk clothes are bought in HK and also London.

    Here is my LOTD -- I have been enjoying a new foundation routine this week, mainly because I have started on a new makeup base, and also rediscovered a neglected foundation.  But I shall have a separate entry devoted to this new routine !

    I also used only one colored eyeshadow in this LOTD, which is MAC's Club Eyeshadow. I am sure this color is no stranger to many of you, it's one of the frist few MAC eyeshadows I bought... it is a duochrome brown/ green color.  If you pack on the color, it looks a deep dark brown with green sheen, and when blended out, gives you a smokey blended look.

    On the rest of my face---

    Foundation: Chifure Makeup Base Milk, Shu Uemura Nobura Cream Foundation, MAC Fix+, La Mer Powder

    Cheeks: MAC Instant Chic, MAC Happy Together

    Lips: OCC Hush

    Eyes: NARS Primer, NARS Abyssinia, MAC Club

    Lashes and Liners: Girls Aloud Nicola false lashes, MAC Blackline, MAC Smolder (waterline)

    I curled my hair with the Babyliss Conical Wand.

    I am wearing my french connection black dress with a cinched in shirred detail waist.

    And to share some lovely campaign images from the press kit:

    Do check out this collection when you are shopping!  I know I definitely will!  :)

    That's all, and thanks for reading!

     

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    May 21, 2010

    Nails Story: OPI Who the Shrek meets Fiercely Fiona (PLUS Mini TOPSHOP Haul)

    Hi hi!

    So I had my cow-mooooo nails for one day, and then remove them, cos I am fickle, and I like to change my nail colors.  I also can't wait to cut off my nails, so I can type and text without having to poke at the screen or hit so noisily at the keyboard.  I also can't wait to try out the funky Shrek colors.  And so here we have both the Shrek and Fiona colors.

    Recap of the colors:

    Shades from Forever 21 ($11). This has the 'feel' of that Grey Ant oversized status (it's really the name) shades which I was sort of lemming.  For $11, it is so easy to just wear them for fun!  Love the thick frames, and the largeness of the shades.

    Some comments on the Shrek colors, and which I am sure you have read about from Temptalia and Scrangie, is that the consistency of these colors seem a bit rubbish, for all the vibrant colors you see in the bottle, they apply rather thinly and streaky. What you see in these pictures, I applied a thin coat of China Glaze White Out as a base (thanks to Amy for the tip) to make the color more true and opaque.  Then this is followed by 3 or 4 coats of the colors.   They are certainly bright and vibrant once you applied enough for the true color to show up, and definitely something for the short nails only (IMO of course).

    Also did a little shopping at TOPSHOP today and got this $13 ring... it has a faux Victorian style to it, a little tacky and totally fun to wear.  I intend to combine this with a few other fine (as in skinny band rings) gold rings in my stash.. and maybe show you the final results if I show some OOTD over the weekend.

    And also at TOPSHOP, I bought this tee on sale ($39). This is in size 12, and I prolly will wear a sports bra inside, cos of the large armholes and also I think this looks better with a 'flatter' chest area.  LOL.  And well, if I need to cover my pale as hell arms, I will throw on a light cardi.

    Yup, that's all, and thanks for looking :)